[P2P-F] 32C3: Gated Communities

[Örsan Şenalp]

32C3: Gated Communities
https://events.ccc.de/#32c3-gated-communities-english

It is 2015, a large part of the population has withdrawn to heavily
guarded islands of comfort.

Technological eco-systems created by single companies relieve us from
the burden of choosing our own mobile phones, computers or fitness
trackers and understanding how they work. We let their commercial
interests decide, which media outlets, news bulletins and expressions
of opinion we notice and which are accepted by the globally valid
terms of service.

Filter bubbles take the pain away of thinking for ourselves. Strongly
opinionated agitators provide acceptable sources of information and
handy concepts of an enemy.

Communities of states, just recently lauded with a nobel peace prize,
take the moral duty from us, having to think about the costs of our
wealth: They erect walls, experiment with biometrics and discuss
firing orders – finally easing the fear they monger every day.

Every day politics are taking away the burden of social
responsibility, participation or even scrutiny: By arranging treaties
behind closed doors setting in stone for which there appears to be no
alternative.

Transnational surveillance systems help us to pre-emptively separate
our fellow human beings into good and evil, beneficials and useless
ones. I our cozy cherished sociosphere full of barely prevented terror
attacks and career defining social networks we devotedly seize the
opportunity never to cultivate a conscience of our own. Subversives,
dissenters and outliers disturbing our harmony are automatically and
systematically blocked, arrested, harrassed or placed in their very
own filter bubble.

The guardians of our networks and browsers take away the difficult
decisions, which connections are expendable. We get to enjoy those
providers that can afford us and are supplied with exactly the
services and speed we are entitled to.

The Congress gives us the space to do the things ourselves. To discuss
for ourselves, to think for ourselves, to decide for ourselves and to
tinker on our own. Our own gated community helps us against some of
the bullshit bingo of the outside world.

Why don’t you come out of yours and visit us?